Gilbert Rozon

Biography

Gilbert Rozon (born October 26, 1954) is a Canadian businessman and founder of the Just for Laughs (French: Juste pour Rire) comedy festival, which he created on July 14, 1982. He is also responsible for the development and international deployment of the Just for Laughs/Juste pour Rire brand in over 150 countries. The Just for Laughs festival is considered the largest comedy festival in the world. In 1998, Gilbert Rozon received an unconditional discharge from the Quebec Superior Court after pleading and being found guilty of a sexual assault on a 19-year-old woman, because a criminal record would have made it difficult for him to travel internationally for his work. He was also accused of unlawful confinement of a 31-year-old woman but the charge was withdrawn by the police for lack of evidence. Groups of women expressed anger over sentencing they considered as being too lenient.[ On October 18, 2017, Rozon announced he was resigning from his position as the President of Just for Laughs as well as the vice-president of the Montreal Metropolitan Board of Trade, amid allegations of sexual misconduct. On December 15, 2020, following three years of lengthy, drawn out trials, he was cleared of all charges. Rozon is still the object of civil suits filed by six women, who claim he sexually assaulted them. The total amount claimed is in excess of $9-million. On March 31, 2026 he was condemned to pay $880,000 to eight of the nine women who accused him of sexual misconduct.